John 1:20

1:20 He confessed – he did not deny but confessed – “I am not the Christ!” ¹ 

John 1:27

1:27 who is coming after me. I am not worthy ²  to untie the strap ³  of his sandal!”

John 4:32

4:32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”

John 5:34

5:34 (I do not accept ⁴  human testimony, but I say this so that you may be saved.)

John 7:34

7:34 You will look for me ⁵  but will not find me, and where I am you cannot come.”

John 8:18

8:18 I testify about myself ⁶  and the Father who sent me testifies about me.”

John 8:49-50

8:49 Jesus answered, “I am not possessed by a demon, ⁷  but I honor my Father – and yet ⁸  you dishonor me. 8:50 I am not trying to get ⁹  praise for myself. ¹⁰  There is one who demands ¹¹  it, and he also judges. ¹² 

John 10:7

10:7 So Jesus said to them again, “I tell you the solemn truth, ¹³  I am the door for the sheep. ¹⁴ 

John 10:14

10:14 “I am the good shepherd. I ¹⁵  know my own ¹⁶  and my own know me –

John 10:17

10:17 This is why the Father loves me ¹⁷  – because I lay down my life, ¹⁸  so that I may take it back again.

John 13:19

13:19 I am telling you this now, ¹⁹  before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe ²⁰  that I am he. ²¹ 

John 15:1

The Vine and the Branches

15:1 “I am the true vine ²²  and my Father is the gardener. ²³ 

John 17:4

17:4 I glorified you on earth by completing ²⁴  the work you gave me to do. ²⁵ 

John 18:6

18:6 So when Jesus ²⁶  said to them, “I am he,” they retreated ²⁷  and fell to the ground. ²⁸ 

John 18:8

18:8 Jesus replied, ²⁹  “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for ³⁰  me, let these men ³¹  go.” ³² 

[1:20]  ¹ tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).

[1:27]  ² tn Grk “of whom I am not worthy.”

[1:27]  ³ tn The term refers to the leather strap or thong used to bind a sandal. This is often viewed as a collective singular and translated as a plural, “the straps of his sandals,” but it may be more emphatic to retain the singular here.

[5:34]  ³ tn Or “I do not receive.”

[7:34]  ⁴ tn Grk “seek me.”

[8:18]  ⁵ tn Grk “I am the one who testifies about myself.”

[8:49]  ⁶ tn Grk “I do not have a demon.”

[8:49]  ⁷ tn “Yet” is supplied to show the contrastive element present in the context.

[8:50]  ⁷ tn Grk “I am not seeking.”

[8:50]  ⁸ tn Grk “my glory.”

[8:50]  ⁹ tn Grk “who seeks.”

[8:50]  ¹⁰ tn Or “will be the judge.”

[10:7]  ⁸ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[10:7]  ⁹ tn Or “I am the sheep’s door.”

[10:14]  ⁹ tn Grk “And I.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[10:14]  ¹⁰ tn The direct object is frequently omitted in Greek and must be supplied from the context. Here it could be “sheep,” but Jesus was ultimately talking about “people.”

[10:17]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “Because of this the Father loves me.”

[10:17]  ¹¹ tn Or “die willingly.”

[13:19]  ¹¹ tn Or (perhaps) “I am certainly telling you this.” According to BDF §12.3 ἀπ᾿ ἄρτι (ap’ arti) should be read as ἀπαρτί (aparti), meaning “exactly, certainly.”

[13:19]  ¹² tn Grk “so that you may believe.”

[13:19]  ¹³ tn Grk “that I am.” R. E. Brown (John [AB], 2:555) argues for a nonpredicated ἐγώ εἰμι (egw eimi) here, but this is far from certain.

[15:1]  ¹² sn I am the true vine. There are numerous OT passages which refer to Israel as a vine: Ps 80:8-16, Isa 5:1-7, Jer 2:21, Ezek 15:1-8, 17:5-10, 19:10-14, and Hos 10:1. The vine became symbolic of Israel, and even appeared on some coins issued by the Maccabees. The OT passages which use this symbol appear to regard Israel as faithless to Yahweh (typically rendered as “Lord” in the OT) and/or the object of severe punishment. Ezek 15:1-8 in particular talks about the worthlessness of wood from a vine (in relation to disobedient Judah). A branch cut from a vine is worthless except to be burned as fuel. This fits more with the statements about the disciples (John 15:6) than with Jesus’ description of himself as the vine. Ezek 17:5-10 contains vine imagery which refers to a king of the house of David, Zedekiah, who was set up as king in Judah by Nebuchadnezzar. Zedekiah allied himself to Egypt and broke his covenant with Nebuchadnezzar (and therefore also with God), which would ultimately result in his downfall (17:20-21). Ezek 17:22-24 then describes the planting of a cedar sprig which grows into a lofty tree, a figurative description of Messiah. But it is significant that Messiah himself is not described in Ezek 17 as a vine, but as a cedar tree. The vine imagery here applies to Zedekiah’s disobedience. Jesus’ description of himself as the true vine in John 15:1 ff. is to be seen against this background, but it differs significantly from the imagery surveyed above. It represents new imagery which differs significantly from OT concepts; it appears to be original with Jesus. The imagery of the vine underscores the importance of fruitfulness in the Christian life and the truth that this results not from human achievement, but from one’s position in Christ. Jesus is not just giving some comforting advice, but portraying to the disciples the difficult path of faithful service. To some degree the figure is similar to the head-body metaphor used by Paul, with Christ as head and believers as members of the body. Both metaphors bring out the vital and necessary connection which exists between Christ and believers.

[15:1]  ¹³ tn Or “the farmer.”

[17:4]  ¹³ tn Or “by finishing” or “by accomplishing.” Jesus now states that he has glorified the Father on earth by finishing (τελειώσας [teleiwsas] is best understood as an adverbial participle of means) the work which the Father had given him to do.

[17:4]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “the work that you gave to me so that I may do it.”

[18:6]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:6]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “moved back” (but here a fairly rapid movement is implied).

[18:6]  ¹⁶ sn When Jesus said to those who came to arrest him “I am,” they retreated and fell to the ground. L. Morris says that “it is possible that those in front recoiled from Jesus’ unexpected advance, so that they bumped those behind them, causing them to stumble and fall” (John [NICNT], 743-44). Perhaps this is what in fact happened on the scene; but the theological significance given to this event by the author implies that more is involved. The reaction on the part of those who came to arrest Jesus comes in response to his affirmation that he is indeed the one they are seeking, Jesus the Nazarene. But Jesus makes this affirmation of his identity using a formula which the reader has encountered before in the Fourth Gospel, e.g., 8:24, 28, 58. Jesus has applied to himself the divine Name of Exod 3:14, “I AM.” Therefore this amounts to something of a theophany which causes even his enemies to recoil and prostrate themselves, so that Jesus has to ask a second time, “Who are you looking for?” This is a vivid reminder to the reader of the Gospel that even in this dark hour, Jesus holds ultimate power over his enemies and the powers of darkness, because he is the one who bears the divine Name.

[18:8]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “Jesus answered.”

[18:8]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “if you are seeking.”

[18:8]  ¹⁷ tn The word “men” is not in the Greek text but is implied. The translation uses the word “men” here rather than a more generic word like “people” because in context Jesus referred only to the eleven remaining disciples who were loyal to him and were present at his arrest.

[18:8]  ¹⁸ sn A second time Jesus replied, “I told you that I am he,” identifying himself as the one they are seeking. Jesus also added, “If you are looking for me, let these men go.” Jesus successfully diverted attention from his disciples by getting the soldiers and officers of the chief priests to admit (twice) that it is only him they were after. Even in this hour Jesus still protected and cared for his own, giving himself up on their behalf. By handing himself over to his enemies, Jesus ensured that his disciples went free. From the perspective of the author, this is acting out beforehand what Jesus will actually do for his followers when he goes to the cross.